


College Daze

by exiledchampion



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ardyn Is Still a Jerk Though, His Awful Destiny Just Doesn't Happen, M/M, Multi, Niflheim Is Still a Bit of a Problem, Nobody is Dead, Noctis Is Still Prince of Lucis, Recreational Drug Use, The Setting and the Lack of Death Is Pretty Much the Only Thing That's Different, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-09-27 11:23:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10017911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exiledchampion/pseuds/exiledchampion
Summary: I just wanted to write a happy story about everyone in college together, because what fandom doesn't need college au's.





	1. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this was originally a test of my ability to write in first-person, and, boy, do I actually hate that POV, which is why this hasn't been touched in a while. I'm going back to third-person (sorry to anyone that liked first-person), so hopefully I'll actually be able to convince myself to write more often. (Lololol that's probably not going to happen sorrynotsorry.)

Noctis wasn't much for college, but his father heavily insisted on it. Well, 'insist' was too harsh of a word, really. Regis just wanted him to 'be the best he could be', to 'follow the destiny' the old man 'was sure awaited him', whatever that meant. Even after all these years, he still couldn't quite tell the man 'No', so here he was: College. What a joy.  
He wanted to be sleeping. That's what he did; it was his thing. His hobbies included sleeping late into the afternoon and staying up into the early hours of the morning playing videogames. Yeah, Noctis was a real interesting sort of guy. The only times he actually enjoyed being awake early was when he went fishing. Yeah, his dad, or Luna, or Cor, or Ignis or whoever else he could drag along would probably disagree about the greatness of fishing, but they're wrong. Just take Noctis' word for it.  
Yawning loudly, he rubbed vigorously at his eyes, trying his best to somehow magically wipe the exhaustion away.  
It didn't work, obviously. Life's not that easy.

"Noct," Ignis adjusted his glasses, his brow creasing in unvoiced concern, "you know you wouldn't be so fatigued had you actually gone to bed when you announced your plans to do so last night. It is imperative that you stay focused on your lessons today." 

A hand gently gripped at Noctis' shoulder, quietly demanding attention in a way that only she could. This early though, she was almost painfully bright to look at, her smile piercing through his already irritated eyes. "Come now, Ignis. I'm sure he had a reason to be up so late. Maybe it was one of those.. multiplayer.. things or.. Maybe he couldn't find a save-y spot?"

Luna knew next to nothing about his hobbies or even really how videogames worked in the first place, but that never stopped her from coming to his rescue, even if he didn't really need it. Ignis was pretty much all bark, after all. Luna was just too nice not to try and help though. He'd be worried if she didn't.

"Well, we have successfully risen him. Now we just need to get him to shine a bit." A cold hand pinched and pulled at Noctis' cheek teasingly. Gods, Ignis' hands were always so cold. "That's it!" He snapped his fingers in realization, the loud noise causing Noctis to groan, something the bespectacled man either didn't notice or didn't feel bad enough about to acknowledge. Likely the latter. "How about some coffee?" Although it had been a question, he clearly didn't intend for it to be answered, long legs striding forward before either of the other two could answer.

A quiet laugh, and that hand from earlier had gripped Noctis' arm again, not quite pulling him along, yet commanding that he follow.

 

There was a small café on campus, music softly playing from the overhead speakers flowing smoothly with the idle chatter of patrons. The strum of a guitar mixing pleasantly with.. was it a flute, maybe? He didn't really know much about music, but he still kind of wished it were live music instead. The upbeat flow would've had a much heavier impact, if that were the case, he assumed. Luna had led him to a table in the corner away from most everyone else, before returning to Ignis to assist with the placing of orders. To the few eyes that looked their way, Noctis was pretty sure the pair looked like a couple, not like he minded. Luna was a catch, that was for sure, but she wasn't quite intent on a romantic relationship with anyone, at least from what he could tell. It wasn't that she thought little of relationships or thought herself too good for one; she simply didn't seem to have the time, or, stereotypically enough, 'hadn't met the right guy', she claimed. Ignis was a good looking guy, so they just genuinely looked good together. Aesthetically pleasing, or whatever. Even so, Noctis was pretty sure Ignis had a secret girlfriend he refused to talk about, much to his disdain. Noctis wasn't the sort to pry, but, Gods, he wanted to know just what kind of girl Ignis would date, and what the two even considered dating. It was probably reading on the couch all night or something. Boring. Absolutely boring, for sure.

A few minutes passed, and they still hadn't returned, although he could see them idly chatting and waiting for whatever it was that they had purchased. 

As they finally walked back his way, he could almost guess that she was laughing at one of Ignis' terrible, terrible puns. They were both smarter than he was, in their own way, although he'd never outwardly say that to either, so they probably had more to talk about with one another than they did with him. At this point, he considered just leaving the two alone. Maybe, if Ignis didn't have a secret girlfriend, the two of them could-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of two men, boisterously laughing and talking excitedly. The smaller of the two, with hair the color of a Chocobo's feathers, flung himself over the counter, busying himself with throwing together a drink for what Noctis presumed to be the two of them. The woman seemingly running the shop jokingly waved her hands, shooing him away. The laughter from both parties indicated it was likely a common occurrence, albeit Noctis couldn't imagine anyone getting away with such a thing so often. Did the blonde work here, maybe? The other man- Wait. Does that guy not have a shirt on? Or is that unbuttoned overshirt supposed to count? If Noctis had abs like that, he probably wouldn't wear a shirt either, but, seriously, come on. That's not fair. No need to rub in your physique, buddy. The brunette grabbed the other by the shoulder, practically dragging him out from behind the counter. The laughter continued, this time even louder than before, somehow. The brute had gathered the other man in what appeared to be a headlock, if Cor's weird wrestling shows filled to the brim with drama and spandex were any indication. To be fair, it's not like Noctis paid much attention to them still, but, either way, this term seemed to make sense. He'd have to ask Ignis, now that the two of them were back, but he was so invested in his book, Noctis didn't really feel right bothering him at the moment. Besides, it didn't seem like the kind of information he'd have readily available, no matter how smart he is. Instead, he'd have to ask Cor later, otherwise it'll bug the hell out of him for the rest of the day.

"Oi!" The blond called out between a conglomeration of laughter and gasps for the breath being robbed of him. "Gladio! I'm gonna choke and die here, dude! Let go already!" 

Some of their fellow cafeteria dwellers turned their gaze to the booming laughter that followed yet again, some staring with judgement burned into their eyes, other's quietly laughing to themselves.

"Oh, I'll give you something to choke on, if you really want it." The guy, Gladio, was Noctis' guess, finally released the smaller man, his hand resting on his hip as his scar-riddled brow rose in daring questioning, a sly smirk overtaking his lips.

Did he really... just say that? Just imply that? Out loud? Wait. Does that mean they're..?

The freckled boy didn't miss a beat, crossing his arms over his chest as he lowered his gaze, seemingly taking in the other man for the first time. "Oh, dude.." He clasped a hand on the other man's shoulder, smiling sympathetically. "I'm so sorry to hear that it's so small, that it needs a choking hazard warning. That must be a major bummer."

Noctis coughed, choking on on his drink as a laugh formed in his throat before he could finish the small sip of coffee he had attempted. Ignis finally raised his eyes from his book, quickly glancing over the raven-haired man seated before him, just as quickly deducing the cause of his quiet outburst. He squinted in irritation, a low grunt of frustration flowing through his tightly held lips, his free hand swirling his glass of Ebony. Always Ebony. 

Great. Maybe it'd be better to throw himself at Titan now? Leviathan maybe? Definitely a better chance at surviving an encounter with either of them than dealing with another one of Ignis' lectures. Also an automatic fatality with those.

Luna, on the other hand, just offered one of her ever present smiles, dripping with as much sweetness as the drink she had ordered for Noctis held. 

Ignis had apparently insisted on Ebony for him as well, but she, once again, was Noctis' saving grace. He wouldn't say he necessarily had a sweet tooth- he totally doesn't- but he's definitely not a fan of bitter things, especially when said bitter things are supposed to somehow help him wake up. Taking another drink, this time uninterrupted, he couldn't say he was surprised to hear more laughter from both of the men, a low sounding of congratulations from one to the other at 'such a good one'. If Noctis said jokes like that to Ignis, he would completely obliterate him. Not in a physical, fist fight sort of way, no. Ignis was savage. Noctis would rather deal with one of his lectures than one of his roasting sessions. At least his lectures didn't make him feel bad about himself, just his life choices.

Maybe if he was super nonchalant now, Ignis wouldn't bother with the whole situation too much. Yeah, Noctis laughed at a really awful, painfully obvious dick joke that lacked all subtlety, and, yeah, that should probably be beneath him, considering his situation, but, come on, it was a good one. He really wished he wasn't seated at such a weird angle though. He wanted to actually see what-

Ignis rose from his seat, finishing his drink in one final swoop as he made his way toward the garbage can conveniently located between the two loudmouths. 'Conveniently'. Well, at least he's not going to harass the two about-  
"Would you two mind keeping it down? Some of us are still waking, you know." Noctis could hear the teasing tone in his voice, whether it be directed at him or them, he wasn't sure, but those who didn't know Ignis as well as he did would likely assume he was fully serious, which probably wasn't a good thing.  
There was an awful moment of uncomfortable, palpable silence. Every inch of him wanted to turn in his seat, to take a look at the group of men, to see exactly what everyone's reactions were. In this case, if there were a fight, it seemed like it'd be the ultimate battle between brain and brawn, at least in the case of Ignis and that Gladio guy. The unnamed blonde didn't seem like he had much going for him muscle-wise, but maybe he had Ignis beat in intelligence. Nah. No one is as smart as Ignis. They might be equals though? Either way, Noctis should probably get his phone out to record the whole endeavor and upload it online. If he got enough views, he could probably quit this whole college thing for good. Plenty of people make a living off the internet, after all.

The loud voice from before came coursing through his ears again, practically dragging him from his thoughts.  
"What? You're always up at, like.. Before the sun even comes out, dude! How are you still 'waking'?" Noctis could practically visualize the blonde's over-exaggerated gasp, although he wouldn't necessarily mind actually seeing it though. Wait, is that weird? No. It's probably fine. It's totally normal. It's fine. "It's not like you to be waking this late." His voice took a more concerned turn. "Is something wrong, Iggy?"

Wait.  
'Iggy'?

"Chill, Prompto." It was Gladio's voice, the baritone pitch growing more and more unmistakable the more Noctis heard it. So, the other guy was Prompto then? That's.. a pretty na- dumb name. A pretty dumb name. At least Noctis' name means something cool. Being named something that sounds like 'fast' is just an asshole move by your parents. "I don't think Specs ever sleeps."

'Specs'?

"I sleep enough, at least what is recommended for our age, although I thank you for your concern." There was a pause, and Noctis could sense Ignis pushing up his glasses, a tick he's had since they were far younger. "Although I don't sleep as much as some here."

Noctis finally looked up from his drink; he wasn't sure at what point he had begun staring so hard into its depths. Luna was waving, smile clearly intended for something, someone, behind him. 

Turning in his seat and leaning an arm on the back of his chair to see for himself where her gaze lay, he swallowed hard. Ignis was standing there with the other two men, his attention softly staying on Luna and Noctis. Gladio towered over him, his size and build already enough to make himself stand out. The tattoos and.. undercut.. mullet.. thing were an unnecessary touch to his uniqueness. Prompto's styled hair, as cut- as not cute as it was, desperately tried to close the height gap between himself and the others. Sleeveless shirt revealed a significant lack of tattoos compared to his companion, but, boy, did he have freckles. Noctis couldn't help but wonder just how covered the guy was. You know, in a totally not weird way.  
Both of the other men smiled in their direction too, Gladio sending a nod of a greeting our way. First day in college, and Noctis had already received a 'Sup' Nod from someone clearly way cooler than he was. Just wait until he tells his dad the exciting news.  
It wasn't until his eyes met the blonde's that he waved. Gods, it was nothing serious in the least bit, yet he could still feel his cheeks tint pink, only growing more and more warm once the other boy smiled. Luna's light laughter in the background, an obvious signal that she definitely noticed his reaction, didn't help much either.

Yeah, being thrown at the mercy of any of the Gods sounded like an excellent idea right now.


	2. Chapter Two

Looking around the café, Noctis couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. Most here were, well, hipsters, for lack of a better way to describe them. Scarves, and skinny jeans, and undercuts, and beards as far as the eye could see. Honestly, Luna and Ignis fit in pretty well, what with Luna fitting in with literally every clique ever and Ignis' awful, awful printed button-ups he loved so much matched the fashion choices of the other patrons fairly well.

Sitting at the table in the back corner near the lesser used entrance, the table they had sat at every morning for over two weeks now, the table they've pretty much claimed entirely as their own, Noctis was well aware he didn't fit in. Slouching in his chair, his bed hair an absolute mess from lack of brushing or even showering this morning, the fabric of his oversized hoodie bunching at his stomach and elbows, hiding his already, compared to Gladio, at least, unimpressive physique, his ill-fittingly massive, stained sweatpants that he had already worn for almost a week straight, rolled up at his calves to show off his bright blue socks with a repeating pot leaf pattern strewn across, he belonged more to a run-down fast food joint than he did here. That fact was obvious, painfully obvious by the way people glanced his way. Then again, he wasn't here for them, so, as self-conscious as he may be right now, he pushed the thought aside and waited, just like he did every morning.

Gladiolus Amicitia was a long-time friend of Ignis, supposedly. Noctis had never seen the guy before in his entire life, but, to be honest, he also didn't really keep track of what Ignis did while he wasn't, you know, right next to him. Ignis was a capable guy, more capable than Noctis could probably ever hope to be, so it wasn't like he needed to really worry about him. Ignis didn't need him watching over him like a hawk. Either way, the big guy was apparently decent enough that he and 'Iggy' spent quite a bit of time together outside of school. No matter how curious Noctis was about him though, he also wasn't the reason he was here way earlier than he would ever prefer to be, waiting impatiently for his friends to bring him one of those insanely sweet, insanely caffeinated drinks they had gotten for him every other day so far. The coffee wasn't the reason either, although it was pretty damn good, he had to admit.

No, his reasoning was much, much more pathetic than that.

As a photography student, Prompto Argentum lived on campus, rooming with Gladio actually, much to Noctis' dismay. Ignis had only known him briefly, not long enough to be able to give Noctis info on whether or not him and Gladio were a thing, that kind of thing, but the excitable blonde had apparently quickly taken a liking to Ignis. The small smile Ignis tried to hide when he spoke about it meant he probably felt the same too.

Now, Noctis had never been jealous over Ignis before, but, shit, was he close to it. Really close.

With a heavy sigh, Noctis took a peek at the line once more, still filled to the brim with people and no sign of Luna and Ignis coming back anytime soon. No stupidly styled blonde hair either. Hell, he'd even settle for seeing Gladio's intimidating mug about now. Another sigh, and he somehow managed to slouch even more, legs flowing out beneath the table, hogging the space that no one else was around to accommodate. At least, he thought that was the case.

"Hey! Socks!"

What?

"SOCKS!"

His brow furrowing in confusion, Noctis awkwardly stood, turning to come face to face with a significantly taller man, braids adorning the sides of his head where the hair was shaved and leading the longer locks back and down his neck, several black lines permanently etched into his skin at what seemed to be odd and random places. How was there possibly more than one guy with that haircut and with tattoos? Wasn't Gladio enough, or was there some sort of club Noctis wasn't aware of? Should he shave part of his head and get a tattoo? Should he join the club? Would Prompto think he was cool if he- With eyes wide and mouth agape, thoughts running wild, not even slightly matching with the other man's pleasant smile and gentle demeanor, Noctis was sure they were quite the pair to behold. Didn't seem to bother the other guy though.

Now that Noctis' attention was solely on him, he quickly pulled an empty chair from the other side of the table closer, placing a boot-clad foot firmly on the seat before pulling his tattered and worn jeans up to reveal-

"Socks!" Noctis managed a grin, eyeing the same style of socks as the pair he currently had on now, the only difference being that the other guy's were purple. Both men seemed to ignore the looks they were receiving at having a conversation that almost entirely involved but a single word, the newcomer planting both feet on the ground and tugging the chair back to its original place of residence, a smile still clear on both of their faces.

With a soft laugh, a rough hand reached forward to grab Noctis by the shoulder, giving him a noticeable but somehow kind shake. "Name's Nyx Ulric. I like your style, uh..?"

"Noctis," he answered with a nod, the smile from before dissipating rapidly as he wordlessly affirmed that, yeah, that was in fact his name, who he was. Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV, if he was going birth certificate official with it. Time to be recognized, then deemed a disappointment for walking around dressed like he was and not some weird animated movie version of a royal prince instead.

Nyx's face seemed to fall, but he quickly recovered. "Nice! I like your style, Prince. A bit surprising, all things considered though." There it was. The recognition that always seemed to cause grief. Nyx continued before Noctis could even begin to dwell on it too long. "So, uh," he lightly scratched at the tip of his nose, "this may be a bit too early in the mornin', and I don't know how you feel about smoking with plebs, but, uh, how about it? Just a couple quick hits?"

"Gods yes." A soft smile overtook Noctis' lips once more, quickly outshined by Nyx's own. Man, the dude was good looking, especially with a smile like that. Holy shit.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Noctis stood on his toes, eyes searching over the small crowd for Ignis. As if on cue, the bespectacled man looked up, eyes meeting Noctis' as the raven-haired man held up his phone, signalling Ignis to check his own. As he presumably fished for it in his pocket, Noctis typed out a quick message, letting him know where he would be and that he'd be back soon. No, Ignis isn't Noctis' mom, but he's quick to worry, and Noctis doesn't need that, both because it's embarrassing and because it does make him feel guilty. Kind of. A little bit. As soon as he got a reply begrudgingly accepting his life choices, Noctis nodded to Nyx again, letting him lead the way outside and to a more secluded spot on campus. Seriously, the guy has a face like that, and an ass like that? Now that's really not fair.

 

Laying in the grass, Noctis stared up into the sky, admiring the clouds as they slowly passed. It felt as if hours had gone by, but, in reality, it had barely been ten minutes. The socks were more of a joke than anything. Noctis smokes, obviously, but he's surprisingly pretty light on it, at least compared to others. He chose to go to school, not because he necessarily wanted a higher education, but because ed wanted a break from the education being forced down his throat at home. It wasn't chemistry and biology, it was history, both Eos' and the Lucis line, and international affairs. As heir to the throne, there's a lot expected of him, a lot of responsibility laid out on his shoulders that he didn't necessarily ask for. His dad is great, as a person and as a King, and he gets Noctis' displeasure with his lack of freedom, for the most part, but that doesn't change things. Noctis has to do this; this is the way things have to be for him, and he doesn't really have a choice in the long run, and that's a tough pill to swallow. He used to sleep to feel better. One can't really be stressed and afraid for one's future when one is sleeping. One can't really do anything while you're sleeping though. That's the point of sleeping. Getting high, for him, felt like sleep, while maintaining the cognitive ability to actually, you know, do stuff. He's relaxed and calm. He's not scared of the future. He's not even thinking of the future. He's able to accept everything as it comes to him, and it's great. He's able to function properly, or at least as properly as he can, while still numbing the fear, at least for a while. He sure as hell doesn't know what he's doing most of the time, but he doesn't think that's the weed. That's probably just Noctis. He doesn't really understand a lot of things. Surprisingly though, his dad has never minded it. Regis said he saw it as just another thing to keep Noctis healthy, to keep him happy and sane, just like the anxiety and depression medication and the weekly therapy sessions to help cope with mom, with life, with his destiny as heir, with everything. 'Everyone has a coping mechanism', Regis would say with a smile.  
All that means is that he's totally gotten high before too, Noctis thought with a quiet laugh. Rolling himself upward, landing on his feet in order to stand, albeit a bit unsteady, he stretched his arms over his head. Nyx had left a few minutes before, something about meeting up with some people named Libertus and Crowe. He mentioned introducing Noctis to them sometime, but, well, he's bad with people. He said he'd think about it, but, let's be real, he's probably just going to make some excuse until Nyx straight-up forces him to meet these people.

 

He stopped in his tracks, hand on the door he had left from some time before, eyes resting on a patch of familiar yellow in a sea of less vibrant hues.

Of fucking course they'd show up while he was gone. Gods, don't let him wreak of smoke. With a forced smile and an adjustment of his sweatshirt, Noctis coerced himself to enter, almost tripping over a chair leg as he did so. Well, if they weren't already aware of him, the weird noise that flew out of his mouth right then was as good of an announcement of his presence as any. With a sigh, he ignored the reddening of his face and took his seat, still somehow unoccupied in his long absence.

"Real graceful there, Noct." Ignis' eyes remained on Gladio as the burlier man spoke, but his nimble fingers pressing the somehow still-warm cup of sweet coffee Noctis' way was enough of an acknowledgement of his presence as he needed. More appreciated too, considering just how good the drink felt traveling down his throat.

Luna offered a caring smile before quickly turning her attention back to the seat beside him.  
Prompto.  
Noctis couldn't help but watch along with her, mug sitting nicely between his palms and interlaced fingers. The blonde clearly hadn't finished getting ready for the day, for some reason unknown to Noctis. His typically styled hair laid smooth and flat atop his head, although, with the way it was cut, it wasn't too much of a difference, and his eyes were less decorated than normal, although the shade of blue still shined brightly under his presumably naturally long, light lashes.

The blonde carefully prodded at his eyes with a small makeup brush, applying the reddish hue Noctis always assumed was somehow natural to the corner of one of his eyelids, then the other. Once that was done, the pallet and brush were thrown carefully in his bag, and a pencil was retrieved. Holding his mirror closer, he lined his eyes, another thing Noctis hadn't noticed. Well, he had only known him for a short while. It was fine that he didn't know. He was learning about it now, right? Besides, Noctis knew little about makeup, and, if it weren't for Luna, wouldn't have even been able to name the things Prompto was placing on his skin. Noctis' pasty, pale skin was likely an obvious indication of his lack of knowledge on anything regarding beauty products.

Noctis wasn't sure just how long he had been staring, but, honestly, he didn't mind. He was fully awake now, even as he took another slow drink from his rapidly cooling coffee, the calming music mixing pleasantly with the muffled voices of his friends as he watched every move Prompto made to finish his appearance. Gods, he could probably watch him all day, just like this. That wasn't weird, right? Nah, no way. He was just being supportive of the guy's habits, right?  
At least that's what he assumed, until he noticed everyone's eyes on him, including Prompto's, his eyeliner carelessly being twirled between two of his fingers.

Shit. How long was he watching? Luna was watching too though! It's normal. It's totally normal to be curious. Maybe Noctis was thinking about caring for his appearance more. Yeah, that would be his excuse. "Uh, what? Sorry, I wasn't.. I wasn't paying attention," Noctis muttered instead, gaze flowing from one person to the next, purposefully avoiding Prompto's gaze at this point.

Luna smiled sweetly, like she always did, and Noctis was pretty sure he saw her lips move to speak, but it was the sound of Prompto's laughter, brash and loud and ending with an agonizingly adorable snort, that flustered him. Again.

Ignis adjusted his glasses, wordlessly signaling to the barista that he would enjoy another cup of Ebony. Of course he would. The guy would live off Ebony, if he could. There's probably Ebony flowing through his veins instead of blood. "He's a bit of a 'gay'mer, as it were. Always staying up late alone to play videogames. It's a shame he doesn't have someone else to play with."

Wait.

No one else caught that, right? The slight accentuation of that one little word, slyly implying a fact about Noctis that was probably more obvious than he would like. Ignis! What the actual fu-

"Whaaaatt? No way!" Prompto had turned to Noctis excitedly, eyeliner pencil discarded in the void he called his bag once more as he quickly fished for something in the pocket of his jeans.

Oh no. This was not how it was supposed to go. He and his stupid little crush were not supposed to be outed this quickly, if at all. "Prompto, it's not-"

"Please, tell me you play King's Knight?! I don't have a one-handed swordsman strong enough for this one dungeon, and it's driving me insane, dude!"

Luna quietly laughed, holding a delicate hand to her lips to mask her pleasure at the whole situation.

"Wait, w-what? What are you.." Noctis faltered, and the look in Gladio's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He knew. Gladio definitely knew, his groomed brow fighting the urge to raise and a sly grin already plastered on his lips. Well, he didn't have to ever worry about dealing with Titan now. The giant in front of him is going to slaughter him for making eyes at his-

Before Noctis could even finish the thought, a pastel pink phone had been thrust upon him, opened up to the social media service that connected with one of his favorite games ever, and the subject of their current conversation, apparently: King's Knight. He expected Prompto to yell excitedly again, telling him more and more about this dungeon he couldn't get through, yet the blonde was still invested in his search, standing to better dig through his pockets, the tightness- Gods, the tightness- of his jeans not aiding him in the slightest.

Whose phone did Noctis have in his hand then?

As if able to read his mind, Gladio finally spoke up, smile growing more smug by the second. "Go ahead and add yourself, Noct. I usually play in my free time when the gym's not open though, so don't expect a lot of gameplay on my end." He placed his elbow on the table, his tight tank top obscuring bits and pieces of the obviously enormous tattoo climbing across vast expanses of his skin, almost reaching down his arm to the hand that now held up his head. "Or do you really not play? A 'gay'mer such as yourself has to play King's Knight."

With a scoff, Noctis' fingers absentmindedly typed his name in and did the work of adding himself to Gladio's friend's list. "Nah, I play erryday," he added with a shrug, handing the phone back to the larger man. "Like Ignis said," he smiled mockingly, his grin growing as smug as Gladio's, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, "I pretty much don't have anything better to do."

"Same." Prompto plopped back down in his seat, curling a leg beneath him and leaning on the table as well, bringing himself far too close to Noctis for his own comfort. He could smell his cologne, or maybe it was his shampoo? Either way, he smelled sweeter than Noctis would have expected. "Add me too, dude!" With a playful grin, a silver phone found its way into Noctis' hands this time, and he immediately went about adding himself to yet another friend's list. "Oh! Oh! Add your phone number too so that we can secretly plan raids and stuff. That way, we can keep all the good loot for ourselves." The blonde rubbed his hands together mischievously before reaching out, eyes sparkling, fully expecting to receive something in return.

Of course, Noctis obliged, messily inputting his phone number, double checking, then triple checking to make sure he got it right amongst all the chaos of his thoughts before grabbing his own phone from the large pocket on the front of his sweatshirt and handing it over. He didn't think he'd have the willpower to refuse, even if he wanted to at this point. Those eyes were something else.  
He just prayed he didn't have something weird pulled up, like an odd Google search or straight-up porn.

With another smile, Prompto smiled as much as Luna, it seemed, he quickly went to work typing out what seemed to be way more than a phone number before just as quickly handing it back and taking his phone in exchange.

After all that, the conversation moved back to a prior topic, one Noctis was far too lost in thought to even remotely focus on. Somehow, someway, Gladio and Ignis had plotted together and successfully gotten him Prompto's phone number with ease. His direct phone number. Hell, Luna was likely in on this too, knowing her. Noctis wouldn't be surprised if she orchestrated the whole thing herself, the gentle, yet scheming mastermind that she is. That didn't matter now though; he'd thank them all a thousand times when he got the chance, out of sight from Prompto, obviously. All that mattered right now was that they were officially friends, accordingly to the internet, at least, and, even as his face tinted pink for the umpteenth time, that was enough for Noctis to be overly excited about the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're ever curious as to what music is playing in this café, it's probably just Calling for Rain on repeat.


	3. Chapter Three

Weeks had passed once more, and Noctis already felt like college life was monotonous. Wonderfully monotonous. Beautifully, belovedly monotonous. It was such a welcomed change of pace from the constant fatigue of politics and the petty drama that ensued with people that should be old enough to know better, that he almost considered giving up his spot in line for the throne in favor of remaining a student for the rest of his life. Like that would ever fly though.  
Groaning, he leaned forward until he could rest his chin on the cool table, their table, eyes immediately searching for Ignis in hopes that he would join him that much faster. For someone that hated being awake this early, hated being awake in general, Noctis sure came here a lot, and early too, immediately being claimed as a regular along with the others. He typically didn't mind; it was nice to belong, to fit in with his friends and their lives so easily.  
Today was different though.  
Oh, he minded a lot today.  
His phone is shot. It still works, but not really, if that makes sense. He's dropping calls, if he can even receive them, and most of his messages aren't going through. Yeah, getting a new one is easy enough when you've got a limitless credit card, and the whole royalty thing comes in handy in times like this, but, there's a couple different things wrong here.  
First off, he doesn't have a ride. His car, The Regalia, as she's lovingly been dubbed by, well, the manufacturer, since that's the model name and all, had some.. thing.. go out on it or something like that? He honestly doesn't know much about cars, unsurprisingly, and had to rely on everyone else's expertise. And by that, he meant Cindy Aurum's expertise, specifically. Her grandfather is friends with Noctis' father, although he wasn't sure how, but he and Cindy had known each other for quite some time now too because of that. He also knew that she's one of the most capable mechanics out there, and she's been going to school here for some time too, according to Ignis. Mechanical engineering or something? He wasn't paying enough attention. Either way, it meant less traveling for him, and, knowing Cindy, she'd likely throw in something 'real special' for him too. She was always doing that, souping up cars without any extra charge. Gods, she was nice. Cute, too. But her accent and the way her speech picks up speed when she's excited always loses him, so, even though he appreciated her enthusiasm, he sure hoped that her girlfriend has a better attention span than he does. They'd been dating long enough that he would be surprised if that weren't the case. The girl's in good hands with her. The car, obviously. Well, he was sure Cindy was in good hands too. Anyways, he wasn't worried about the car getting fixed, but having no way to get places in the meantime was a drag, to say the least.  
The other problem is that, honestly, he doesn't do well with things like this, the whole talking to people thing. Really good to hear from someone that's expected to talk to people as ruler of an entire country in the future, right? Well, that's why Noctis has people like Luna and Ignis. As most, if not all, of his impulse control, they effectively take care of everything for him, or at least tell him how to do things in a way that would be best. As Oracle and future Advisor to the Throne respectively, Noctis was in good hands there. Even so, he couldn't rely on them all of the time.  
Not only is his car not here, his friends aren't either. That means no coffee, no companionship, no help with getting a new phone. Just Noctis. In a café. Alone. Great. He was able to get through to Ignis the night before after about 20 failed messages, and the other guy did mention something about stopping by if he had the time, but, surprise, surprise, there's no Specs to be seen. Huh.  
'Specs'.  
Since when had Noctis picked that up?  
With only a half an hour or so before Ignis' first class, he likely wouldn't be showing, which was fine. He was a busy guy, and Noctis could respect that. Luna was busy working on some assignment or something, so she was out of the question too. At this point, maybe he should just-  
A mug of Noctis' usual drink was placed carelessly in front of him, the chair across from his quietly squeaking as it was moved to make room.

"Uhh..?"

"Iggy wanted me to check up on ya. Said you'd just sleep here for the weekend if I didn't." Gladio smiled, smug yet genuine, leaning back in his seat as he took a drink of the disgusting, green protein concoctions he loved so much. Gods, Noctis didn't know how he could even stomach it. 

Eyeing the drink before him, Noctis sent him a silent nod of appreciation then dug in, quickly chugging a good half of the cup. "That's.. probably true. Not gonna lie." They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Gladio focusing on his phone and Noctis being bitter that he couldn't do the same. Fine. They'll just talk. They were officially friends; Noctis was on his friend's list. They could talk. "So, uhh, you and Prompto.." He trailed off, scratching at the mess of hair on his head as he tried to form an actual question. Why the hell was this so hard? Just say something. "Are you guys, like, umm, you know- Are you-"

"We room together, we're good friends, and we're not dating. At all. Purely platonic, so you gotta shot. Maybe. Might up your chances to buy a hairbrush or something though." There went that stupid, perfectly groomed brow of his, raising condescendingly, mocking Noctis with it's very existence. He never knew he could be so irked over a set of damned eyebrows. "That answer your questions, Noct? Or did ya need his measurements too?" 

There it was! The smirk. The evil, conniving smirk he'd seen so often now. Fuck that smirk. "What? No! I mean, why would I- I just wanted to know, you know, more about hi- you guys. I wasn't like, curious about him particularly- No! Nah, I was just-" Noctis gave up, groaning loudly for far too long as he laid his head back on the table, hair falling where it pleased. This is awkward, and hard, and he could feel the blush crawling across his cheeks which totally wasn't helping. Where's Ignis when he needed him? Maybe if he just chanted his name a few times, he'll show up, like they do in the movies or something.  
Ignis.  
Ignis.  
Ignis!

"Seriously, how high are you right now?" That stupid brow was still there, judging him, but the smile on his lips was far more gentle. Well, as gentle as a scarred, giant, ripped dude covered in tattoos could look.

Oh. Noctis.. just chanted his best friend's name out loud. Yeah, that's not weird. Not at all. Totally normal, Noctis. "Like, two. Maybe three."

Gladio nodded with the understanding that Noctis clearly lacked. He wasn't even really sure how that was even an answer. "'Two, maybe three' whole marijuanas will do that to you, Noct. Might wanna slow it down there before you do something really stupid." He shrugged. "Just do enough to convince yourself to be a bit more bold. You know, brave enough to ask someone directly whether they're single or not."

Noctis' attention jutted upward, shaking his bangs out of his eyes to get a better look, ignoring his flushed face as he glared at the figure across from him, fully expecting Gladio's stupidly smug grin to be the death of him.  
It wasn't.  
It wasn't even there.  
Gladio's face had softened with such a look of caring, and his lips had curled into such a genuinely kind smile, Noctis couldn't tell what he was more surprised by: the fact that Gladio essentially just approved of him talking to Prompto, or the fact that Gladio was looking at him that way. 

Reaching forward, Gladio roughly ruffled Noctis' hair, chuckling softly to himself. "Get your head outta your ass and do something, Noct. No point wasting time."

"Alright, Big Guy," Noctis forced out under a soft laugh, "no need to start giving me advice now."

Gladio quickly downed the rest of his drink, leaving it on the table as he stood, rolling his shoulders back to stretch before pulling out his phone- Noctis still couldn't get over its color- to type out a quick message. "Good. Now that I know you're wide awake, I'm gonna hit the gym. After letting Specs know, of course." With a wave, his long legs carried him rapidly, and, before Noctis knew it, he was gone.

The empty seat didn't stay empty for long though. Only a few minutes later, there was another ruffling of Noctis' hair followed by a loud, abrupt laugh. The chair was kicked out again, and the newcomer quickly plopped down, taking a swig of an obnoxiously orange energy drink. Energizing.. Elixir? Noctis didn't know how tasty something that color could be..

"Hey, Noct!" Dark blue eyes stared hard into his own, and a tattooed finger waved vigorously in front of his face.

Noctis couldn't help but smile, the beginning of a laugh forming in his throat. First Gladio, now this. Of course his day would get more interesting out of nowhere. "What's up, Nyx?"

"We're going out tonight," he stated bluntly, bringing the bottle to his lips once more.

The smile from before dropped, and Noctis' eyes widened in surprise. "W-what?"

"You heard me, Prince. It's Friday. We're going out." He smiled smugly, the glass bottle clinking against the table as he sat it down, leaning back in his chair as the two front legs lifted. "You, me, Crowe, and Libertus. We're going out."

"You've said that already."

"I'm reiterating. We're goin-"

"'We're going out.'" He rolled his eyes, failing to force his smile away again. "I know. I get it."

"Good!" He stood almost as quickly as he had originally taken the seat, grinning ear to ear as he took his drink in hand again. "I'll pick you up, we'll hotbox my car, then Crowe will take us from there. She's a better driver than me, but I'm better at picking the music anyway."

Noctis stared hard at his back, eyeing the detailed design on his shirt as he briskly walked away, quickly forming into a brief jog the further he got.  
Maybe Noctis could have a body like that too if he ran more?  
He laughed softly to himself, finishing off his coffee. Like Noctis would ever willingly exercise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After many, many moons, there's finally a new chapter! Tell all your friends; I'm somehow not dead! :D I'm still a failure as a Promptis writer though, because Prompto's not even in this chapter wtf It's also short af, I'm sorry ;_;


	4. Chapter Four

His head was cloudy, and his thoughts were all over the place, and he was pretty sure he could hear the music filled with upbeat guitar and accompanying flute he had grown so accustomed to at the café, the smell of its coffee permeating deep into his senses. He wasn't at the café though. He was in the van, Crowe's van specifically. Noctis wasn't quite sure how they had gotten there, but they had managed it somehow, dazed and confused and high off their asses. Crowe drove silently, calculating eyes only leaving the road when Nyx toyed with the radio from the seat beside her, which happened a bit more often than sober Noctis would prefer. It was good he wasn't sober right now then, otherwise he would've warped himself out of this mess by now. High Noctis didn't care about much, after all. Nyx's other friend, Libertus was in the row of seats with Noctis, laughing loudly at every little thing Nyx said, much to Crowe's dismay. Noctis wasn't sure why Nyx insisted on listening to the same band that played constantly at the café, but he didn't mind it entirely. It was a nice reminder of something he was comfortable and familiar with amongst all of this, well, this newness. New place, new people, new experience. Seriously, who invites someone like Noctis to a club? He looks like the sort that would never leave his bedroom, much less visit a club. Yet, here he was, in a van full of people he barely knew, riding to some club he had never been to, praying to the Astrals that the music wouldn't be bad and the drinks wouldn't be too expensive. He had a phone to fix still, and who knows how much his car is going to cost him. Honestly, if it weren't for Nyx's palpable charm, he likely wouldn't even be here right now. Libertus seemed to be on the same page, eyeing him suspiciously in between fits of laughter. At least two of them understood that Noctis didn't belong.

"So, uh, Prince Noc-." 

Noctis cut him off. "Noctis is fine. Noct, if you really wanna shorten it. What's up?"

Libertus cleared his throat quickly, clearly scrapping his first idea at a conversation starter and searching for a new one. "Not to be, you know, rude, but, uh, what exactly are you doing here, Prin-Noctis?"

Nyx's eye roll was obvious even from where they sat. "What the hell do you think he's doing here, man?"

"Shut it, Hero. I asked the kid."

'Kid'? Well, it was better than 'Prince', he assumed. "I dunno. Just here to get my mind off peopl- things, I guess." Noctis tugged at his shirt collar, already regretting his choice in attire. He had intended to wear his usual: sweatpants and hoodie combo, but Nyx adamantly refused. After a good half hour of arguing, Noctis ditched the baggy comfort clothes and, instead, was forced into a form-fitted combination of jeans with a t-shirt, and he absolutely hated it. There was too much of himself exposed, too much of himself out there for others to view, and he couldn't help but be self-conscious, no matter how much Nyx talked him up. 

"People?" Damn, Noctis didn't think he had caught that. "Ohhh," Libertus cooed jokingly, eyeing Noctis with a mischievous gleam to his eye. "Trouble in the world of love then? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Nah, the fact that you're goin' out with us tonight makes it clear you're single." His eyes lowered, taking in Noctis as if it were the first time before his gaze shot up again, realization on his face. "You've got a case of 'The Feelings', don'tcha, kid?"

Noctis was quick to refuse, shaking his head while the hint of pink across his cheeks gave his true intentions away.

"He totally has a crush on me." Nyx was smug with his grin, features all the more appealing with the sleepy overtone the weed from earlier caused.

Squinting his eyes, Noctis stared hard at Nyx, taking note of every little detail about his appearance. Well, trying to. His brain wasn't much for lists right now. After a few moments too many, he finally answered. "Ew, no."

"Ew, rude," Nyx scoffed, although the ever-present smile on his lips made it clear he wasn't bothered in the least bit.

There was a soft sigh, the sudden, unexpected noise drawing the three men's attention toward the driver's seat. Crowe blew a puff of air upward, her messily styled hair moving just enough to remove itself from her eyesight. Surprisingly soft brown eyes blinked slowly in the rearview mirror, stern gaze practically burrowing into Noctis' skin. "It's that blonde you hang around, yeah?" Her voice was exactly as he would have guessed it, simultaneously rough with a pleasant softness to it. She reminded him of a more abrasive version of Luna. All three men were silent, waiting for her to speak more, yet it never came. Instead, her eyes only remained on Noctis, waiting for his response, as well as end of the red light they had hit.

"What? Luna? No way. I mean, she's great, and we've known each other since we were kids, but-"

"The boy."

"The boy?" His brow furrowed in confusion, Libertus' face twisting with the emotion as well. Nyx only shrugged, turning his attention to the window beside him, watching intently at whatever it was that had stolen his attention.

Crowe spoke again. "The blonde boy. The one hangin' out with the big guy all the time. I've seen him with a camera a lot."

Noctis' face burned even brighter, and Crowe managed the slightest beginnings of a smile, attention returning to the road again as the light finally turned green. 

It was Libertus' turn to smile, although Noctis prayed it wasn't to mock him. He already felt stupid enough having such a major crush on someone he had known maybe a month or so; he didn't need someone else rubbing it in. Instead, he patted him softly on the shoulder, nodding his head as if wordlessly sending a message his way. When Noctis quirked a brow, he finally spoke. "No need to be embarrassed, kid. If Crowe ain't sayin' anything bad about the guy, he's probably not a bad guy. That chick can't keep her opinions to herself at all," he stated a bit louder, earning a glare from Crowe in the mirror.

With a snicker, Nyx chimed in as well. "You tell the guy you like him yet?"

"What? Gods no. Why would I-?

Libertus' mouth hang agape. "Why not? You're a damned prince, kid. What the hell do you have to be afraid of?"

"Someone might think he's too good looking, rich, and powerful. Happens to me all the time," Nyx offered with another shrug.

"It makes sense that it would happen to you. Look at you, then look at me.Why the hell would Prom- Why would he even-?"

Nyx's face grew more serious as he turned in his seat, eyeing Noctis incredulously. "Yeah. I've looked at you. You're a good looking kid with a decent body, power, money, and an inability to take the few minutes it would take to brush your hair and wear something that actually fits that you could be trained out of in no time. You manage to retain your humility, and avoid being a condescending prick like most politicians these days, all the while being fun to be around.." With a dismissive wave of his hand, the serious look was gone, quickly replaced by that loveable grin instead. "You're a catch, prince. Stop thinking of the 'What if's' and just go for it. The worst thing he can say is that he's not interested." Crowe simply nodded, whereas Libertus refused to not get his two cents in too, albeit it was more of a well-rounded, better worded reiteration of Nyx's brief lecture.

Noctis wasn't paying as close of attention this time around. He wasn't even thinking about how 'I'm not interested' was most definitely not the worst thing Prompto could say. All his distracted, inebriated mind could think about was how these three fairly attractive people, again, people he barely knew, thought he was a catch somehow. He was pretty sure they were crazy, but, hey, maybe Prompto was crazy too, and that was enough of a confidence boost to make him feel better than he did before. At least enough to stop messing with his shirt.

*******

The club was a mistake. It was an awful, awful mistake. It wasn't that it wasn't fun; Noctis was pretty certain he had a good time, but, Gods, was he drunk. He was fucking hammered. Mix that with the high he still didn't fully get rid of, because Nyx was fairly adamant about a second round of hotboxing before Crowe drove him home, and he was, to put it bluntly, fucked up. He had no idea how he got into his apartment. He thought he remembered Crowe helping him inside and into his bed, but he wasn't sure. That may have been Libertus instead. Maybe even Nyx? Nah, Nyx was trashed too, to the point where he totally threw up out the passenger window, and Noctis was pretty sure Crowe was going to kill him and ditch his corpse on the side of the road instead of taking him home. He didn't entirely blame her.  
Now, if his mind were sober, Noctis would just make his overly high, overly drunk ass go to bed, after locking his front door, of course, and setting a glass of water on the night stand beside his bed. But, this is reality. Noctis' mind is just as intoxicated as he is, so he's not going to do any of that. Instead, he's going to do something much, much less intelligent.  
"S'hot." Tossing and turning, he finally managed to wiggle out of his entrapment of blankets, dramatically pulling his shirt over his head, and, with more difficulty than necessary, wrangling the damn thing over his much too broad shoulders. Seriously, as lacking as he is in muscle, at least compared to guys like Gladio or Nyx, it was almost an insult that his shoulders ended up so wide. Just a cruel joke by fate, in his opinion, like most of his life it seemed.  
Flinging the garment somewhere in the room, he flopped back into bed, rolling on his side as his fingers traced through the fabrics of his sheets and blankets, searching for his phone. With an intended quiet, but actually much louder than necessary noise of success, he clasped his phone tightly bringing it before his eyes before slamming them shut, the bright light painful to look at amongst the darkness of his room. Once his eyes adjusted, and once his brain decided to work enough to adjust the brightness settings, he pulled up his messages, scowling at the common sending error notification adorning so many of them. Even so, that didn't stop him from typing out a new one, pressing send almost before he could finish typing.  
[Hey]  
The error message he had seen so many times now was quick to come back, and, although expected, he still couldn't help but frown. Even so, he kept up his messaging, the lack of the possibility of a response encouraging him to continue. It was like writing in a diary, if a diary was a phone that decided to be done working.  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[Its latw and I. Sorry]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[I'm fuuucked yp]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[Super fu ked ip]  
He sighed, snuggling further and further into his pillow, fatigue mixing wondrously with his earlier intoxicants, the threat of sleep sounding more and more desireable.  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[I like yor hair anx how y do your makup]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[I reely like you laug]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[I like the way your dress an the way your jeabs fit your ads]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[You're stunnign]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[You taks mg breat away]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[Your eyes ar like stars. D it's so hadd for me do look awag]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
At this point, Noctis can barely keep his eyes open, sleep creeping up on him faster and faster, but it feels good to type everything he couldn't admit to Nyx, or Crowe, or Libertus out, knowing it won't see the light of day. It's freeing, and it seems to help ease him into slumber that much more, his breathing slowing increasingly with each message.  
[I lik you]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[I like yu alit]  
[Error: Message unable to be sent.]  
[I Want t see you]  
[Come ovr]  
[Please]  
[I'm lonrly]  
[And I need you here]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably try harder to include Prompto in this supposedly Promptis fanfic at some point, and less awful, awful dialogue. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
